Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	apostle_n	church_n	word_n	1,664	5	4.2322	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57858	A just and modest reproof of a pamphlet called The Scotch Presbyterian eloquence	Rule, Gilbert, 1629?-1701.	1693 (1693)	Wing R2222; ESTC R25107	43,938	42

give a Character of the Presbyterian Ministers 5. When he hath a mind to expose any of our Ministers as absurd or ridiculous he is then pleased most disingenuously to advance him to be one of the most eminent among us that so he may make the World believe if their credulity be as large as his boldness in asserting that we are all such But this silly artifice will fail of its design among them who are acquainted with us He first accuseth them and that without exception as Proud Soure unconversible Here is not one true word where one is such among us and never a party consisted of all its individuals so well tempered as they should be many are such among his own party and yet we are far from being so unmanly as to make this the Character of the party I leave it to the Reader to judge what Humility or sweetness of mind our Author hath shewed in what he hath said or in what followeth That they have faces like their horrid Decree of Reprobation Where he venteth his spite against the truth of God as well as against the Men against whom he hath indignation Do not all the Reformed Divines except Arminians own a Decree of Reprobation yea doth not the Apostle so too Rom. 9. I wonder what a Face he thinketh the Apostle Paul had He and Presbyterians need not be ashamed to have their Pictures drawn and shewed with that of this Momus If a Presbyterian had spoken so ignorantly and indistinctly of such a head of Divinity how would he have accused them of Ignorance For who can own Election but they must at the same time acknowledge a preterition or Non-election and that as a positive Act of the Divine will See Rom. 9. 13. And who can say that some are Damned in time and yet this Damnation was not foreknown and foreappointed or decreed by him who worketh all things according to the Counsel of his own will If this Author will shew his Argumentative Talent as well as he hath that of Railing on this head it would be more easy to Answer him Their want of Humanity and common Civility and Catholick Charity are as many calumnies as words He asserteth I deny it and appeal to all that converse commonly among them But it is evident that what he asserteth of them he abundantly proveth of himself such Assertions being remote from all these vertues and good qualities That they dare not converse with them who differ from them lest the people take it ill is false They not only converse with them such of them as are Sober but have received some of them into a share of the Government of the Church And do not shun to converse with others of them as occasion requireth And if any people be displeased at this as I am sure the more intelligent are not they instruct them of the reasonableness of this practice His certainty that we have as little Learning as good nature which is next to none is a proof this Authors good Nature as many other passages of this Book are of his Learning about the measure I shall not determine seing it is easy for any unbyassed Reader to judge Presbyterians differing from all other Churches he boldly asserteth I deny not but there are some circumstantial things in which all the Churches in the World do differ one from another and our Church may be hath in some of the inferiour things her peculiar customs But in her Confession of Faith in her Government of the Church and in the worship of God it is evident that we are for the substance of these exactly one with the generality of the Reformed Churches And for the circumstances we are far nearer to the Reformed Churches than the Church of E. is which he gloryeth so much in and which indeed hath a Government Discipline and Worship widely different from the whole Reformed World yea on the matter they unchurch all other Churches by denying the validity of their Ordination and re-ordaining all who have not a Bishops hand laid on them We are far from carrying so toward Her or any other Church That which goeth for a proof of this absurd Assertion I shall now consider It is that we have banished the Lords Prayer the Creed and the ten Commandments the Doxology and the publick reading of the Scripture For the first of these It is false for we endeavour to make the people understand it And tell them the true use of it which is to direct them what to Pray for and also in most other things that concern Prayer It s true we do not commonly repeat the words of it but we neither condemn them who do it nor forbid to do it Our reason is There is no command for using these words nor do we find that the Apostles or the Church in their time did repeat the words Our reason for the other is these words are as fit to be used as any other It is false that the Author of the Answer to the ten Questions which he is pleased to ascribe to Dr. Rule on what grounds he best knoweth for it beareth no name used this as a reason against Repeating the Lords Prayer that it is inconvenient It is only said Quest 4 P. 20. That We are not tyed to what had been injoined if afterward it be found inconvenient while the discourse was of the use of the Doxology the Creed at Baptism and the Lord's Prayer now if any of these be inconvenient that Assertion is pertinent tho' the rest were not but were forborn on other grounds Yea If none of them were inconvenient what is said there is enough to free us from nonconformity to the Presbyterian Churches on this head with which that Antagonist chargeth us The words are plainly Hypothetick and therefore assert nothing Categorically Them who use the words of the Lord's Prayer we do not Judge either as acting against what is lawful or what is expedient If Mr. K. said that he forbore Repeating the Lord's Prayer because it is a Badge of the Episcopal Worship and did mean it was pressed in Scotland as such distinguishing mark perhaps it were not so absurd as our Author pretends though I had rather say we forbear it because it hath not now of a long time been the practice of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland and we know no Command or other Principle that maketh it necessary What followeth imputed to Mr. James Urquhart we reckon horrid Blasphemy And if any will make it appear that Mr. U. said such words he ought to be desposed or to make very solemn profession of his Repentance for this Scandal But Mr. U. denyeth it and biddeth defiance to any who will attempt to prove it against him the other Blasphemies to the same purpose which follow we abhore as much as he or any other can do And I affirm that it is the grossest of Falsehoods that it is ordinary to hear our People speak so for my part